If you’re one of those people resigned to living with a snoring problem…read on!

Snoring is one of the unfortunate realities of life. Most of us do it to some degree and generally speaking, the older we get the worse the condition gets.

Snoring can kill

For 1 in 6 people snoring is a serious health issue.

Called Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), it’s caused by the relaxation of the muscles in the back of the throat and tongue while sleeping which in turn blocks the airway. That blockage cuts off breathing causing a person to momentarily wake up. It can literally happen hundreds of times per night.

OSA can have serious health implications including chronic fatigue, high blood pressure, weight gain, and even heart failure and stroke.

Snoring can also put a huge strain on our most important relationship in life, as the person with whom we share our bed often suffers chronically as a result of their partner’s snoring.

So treating snoring can make a huge difference in a person’s long term health outlook not to mention the more immediate benefits of being able to get a solid night’s sleep every night.

The problem with snoring is that effective treatments have been highly intrusive. They include surgery, in which a doctor cuts away or shrinks tissue in the back of the throat, a CPAP face mask which forces air into the lungs keeping the air passages open while you sleep, or an oral mouthpiece designed to force the lower jaw out during sleep, keeping the airway clear.

A breakthrough in controlling snoring

But now there’s a new product that seems to be the breakthrough so many people have been waiting for. And like so many great innovations, it’s remarkably simple.

The product is an ergonomic strap that fits over the head and chin. It gently holds the jaw in a position that allows the breathing airway to remain clear which virtually eliminates snoring while you sleep.

Better yet, the chinstrap’s effectiveness has been clinically proven. In a case study by the Eastern Virginia Medical School, it was found to be as effective in treating OSA as expensive CPAP machines.

The chinstrap is offered online through a company called MySnoringSolutions.com. It sells for $89.97 but the company offers an unconditional 12 month guarantee, so there is zero risk you will be stuck with something that doesn’t work for you.

So if you want to get rid of snoring once and for all – this may be the solution you have been waiting for.

JOHANNESBURG, 22 October (IRIN) – The recent news that for the first time an HIV vaccine had shown some protective effect generated widespread excitement, until it emerged that the results were based on the most promising of three different analyses of the trial findings.

The trial team in Bangkok, Thailand’s capital, announced on 24 September that a combination of two vaccines had reduced the rate of HIV infection by 31 percent in about 8,200 volunteers, compared to around the same number who were given a placebo.

A few weeks later, researchers who had seen full data from the trial told Science magazine that an analysis based only on participants who had received all six doses of the vaccine at the right times did not show a statistically significant protective effect.

It was hoped that the release of more details from the trial to coincide with the AIDS Vaccine 2009 conference taking place in Paris this week would settle the question of whether the vaccine results were really as significant as the initial announcement had suggested or a mere fluke. Instead, full results of the study, published online yesterday in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) raised more questions than they answered.

The 31 percent efficacy in the initial announcement was based on a “modified intention-to-treat” analysis that included all the 16,402 trial participants, except for seven who were found to have contracted HIV before receiving any vaccinations.

A second analysis included those seven, while a third “per-protocol” analysis involving 12,452 participants – the one cited in Science magazine – found that the vaccine was only 26 percent effective. This was not enough to be statistically significant, meaning that the difference between the vaccine and the placebo arms of the trial was so small that it could have been a coincidence.

Different interpretations Dr Jerome Kim of the US Military HIV Research Programme, who helped lead the trial, yesterday told reporters at the vaccine conference in Paris that the modified intention-to-treat analysis was the most accurate, but others disagreed.

A statistician quoted in a New York Times report placed more emphasis on the analysis that included the seven HIV-positive participants, while another did not believe that any of the analyses provided sufficient evidence the vaccine worked.

In an editorial accompanying the article, NEJM editor Raphael Dolin said that “although the merits of each type of analysis can be debated, all three yielded a possible, albeit modest, effect of the vaccine in preventing HIV infection.”

The study authors also argued that, taken together, the three different analyses of the results were “consistent with a modest protective effect of vaccine”, but could not explain why other findings from the trial indicated that the vaccine’s efficacy appeared to decrease over time, or why it was less effective among participants at high risk of infection.

They were also unsure whether it was one of the two vaccines that produced a potentially protective effect, or the combination of the two. Dolin noted that the findings raised “a number of questions that have important implications for future directions in vaccine research”, and recommended that the duration of the vaccine’s effect be addressed by following up the trial participants, as well as by future trials.

According to a report by a South African news service, Health-e, Colonel Nelson Michael of the US Military HIV Research Programme, another lead investigator of the Thai trial, told a press conference in Paris that a further study of the vaccine may be conducted in South Africa, which has a much higher HIV prevalence than Thailand. The vaccine would have to be modified to contain the strain of HIV most common in sub-Saharan Africa.

HE Dr. Hor Bunleng, Deputy Secretary General and Team Leader of NASA II said “AIDS spending in Cambodia has slightly declined from US$ 53,258,765 in 2007 to US$ 51,846,997 in 2008”

Prevention this remains the largest share of spending though it declined in the in the two years under the investigation (44% in 2007 and 39% in 2008) and follow by care and treatment (25% in 2007 to 29% in 2008), then the program management and administration (18% in 2007 to 20% in 2008). This trend is source of concerns as it is considered essential to avert new infection, especially among high risk group such as establishment workers, man who have sex with men and injecting drug users (NASA II finding). 2007, numbers of entertainment workers are 23,000. This amount was increase highly to 34,193 in 2009 which 5,000 are operated in brothels (NCHADS Report). The number of MSM in Cambodia was increased, but the budget line for Most At Risk Population (MARPs) are decreased (17% in 2007 to 12% in 2008).

The HIV response in Cambodia is highly reliant on external funding (2008, 90% from International support and 10% contribution from Royal Government of Cambodia). The majority of funds spent on AIDS related to intervention came from bilateral agencies (47% in 2007 to 40% in 2008), Global Fund to Fighting HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (31% in 2007 to 37% in 2008), Government of Cambodia (11% in 2007 to 10% in 2008), UN agencies (10% in 2007 to 8% in 2008), and other international source (1% in 2007 to 5% in 2008).

The NASA resource tracking methodology is designed to describe the financial flows and expenditures using the same categories as the globally estimated resource needs. This alignment was conducted in order to provide necessary information on the financial gap between resources available and resources needed, and in order to promote the harmonization of different policy tools frequently used in the AIDS field. NASA provides indicators of the financial country response to AIDS and supports the monitoring of resource mobilization. Thus, NASA is a tool to install a continuous financial information system within the national monitoring and evaluation framework.

According to the results of a global youth survey launched today by Standard Chartered and AIESEC International, the world’s largest student organisation, although 84 per cent of young people believe the HIV and AIDS epidemic remains one of the great challenges of our time, almost 50 per cent have a dangerously low knowledge about the killer virus.

Over a third don’t think condoms are very effective in preventing sexual transmission and nearly a quarter admitted they would not always use a condom when having sex. This could explain why almost half of the world’s new HIV infections occur among 15 to 24 year olds according to the latest UNAIDS statistics, largely as a result of unprotected sexual activity.

Over 1,500 members of AIESEC International responded to the survey, spanning 99 countries. Whilst two thirds of them view HIV and AIDS as a major problem in their own countries, despite concerted efforts by health agencies to educate younger generations across the world, a third feel that there is little information available to them.

When asked where they would turn to for information on HIV and AIDS, the internet was overwhelmingly cited as the first port of call. Over 94 per cent said they would go online ahead of talking to health professionals (61 per cent) and friends (59 per cent) or family members (25 per cent).

The news comes as Standard Chartered launches the beta version of http://www.vir.us – a first-of-its-kind animated website aimed at young people – to raise awareness and provide information about HIV and AIDS in a fresh, entertaining approach. This is a new element of Standard Chartered’s prevention-focused HIV education programme, Living with HIV, developed in partnership with leading experts from around the globe. Standard Chartered has also pledged to the Clinton Global Initiative to educate one million people on HIV and AIDS by 2010.

Vanessa Green, Group Head, Living with HIV at Standard Chartered said: “In the absence of a cure or vaccine, the only hope of tackling HIV is to educate people on how to avoid contracting the virus in the first place – or passing it on if they are HIV+. This survey shows that there is still a huge job to be done in educating the next generation, giving them the facts which will enable them to make safe lifestyle choices. The starting point is providing them with reliable and practical information in an accessible way, which overcomes the taboos and stigma around sexual health that compound ignorance.

“This survey shows there is a clear need for a free online resource which targets young people and can teach them the facts around HIV and AIDS in an engaging and fun way, whilst dispelling the myths. Our http://www.vir.us website was recently launched to supplement our face-to-face peer education programme which we run in partnership with AIESEC to reach a greater number of young people.”

“AIESEC has been working in partnership with Standard Chartered’s Living with HIV programme for the past 5 years”, said Alexa Mabonga, Global External Relations Manager at AIESEC International. “To date, we have educated over 125,000 young adults in 20 different countries through peer-to-peer education initiatives. Myths, orthodoxy and a reluctance to learn the basic facts about the virus are some of the biggest hurdles our HIV trainers face on a daily basis. Running the programme on the ground, we have found that it has had a real impact and helped people gain a stronger understanding of the issue.”

About the survey

The survey was conducted amongst AIESEC members in 2Q 2009. There were 1,566 respondents based in 99 different countries. 85% of respondents were under 25 years old and the majority were university educated.
• 48.3% have moderate, little or no knowledge of HIV and AIDS
• 82.7% agree or strongly agree that HIV and AIDS remains one of the great challenges of our time
• 93.9% now likely/very likely to go online to learn about HIV and AIDS
• 46.9% are not likely or would never speak to family to learn about HIV and AIDS
• 86.7% believe there is a need for the private sector, governments and NGO’s to work together in the fight against HIV and AIDS
• 73.4% view HIV and AIDS as a problem in their respective countries
• 32.6% agree that there is little information about HIV and AIDS in their country
• 58.6% agree that young people in their country do not know enough about HIV and AIDS
• 23.6% say they would not always use a condom when having sex
• 60.9% believe condoms to be very effective in preventing the spread of HIV
• 36.6% believe they are not very effective in preventing the spread of HIV
About Living with HIV

Standard Chartered Bank’s best practice Living with HIV program began as an internal workplace HIV education campaign before it was rolled out to local communities. The success of the Bank’s community investment is largely due to the varied partnerships-with business, foundations and academic institutions-that allowed the company to bring its workplace program to scale effectively.

Through collaboration with other organizations, the Bank aims to educate one million people about HIV and AIDS by 2010, using resources, models and tools-including an online e-learning module and website, http://www.vir.us -that the company has developed during ten years of experience conducting HIV education for its employees. The HIV education tools are available in 10 languages, and Living with HIV uses a volunteer network of “HIV Champions” who educate their peers about HIV-including components on reducing stigma and encouraging people to get tested for HIV.

Drinking beer and alcohol is going up amongst Cambodian citizens in Cambodia, seemly to be a big heaven and market of alcohol in the region. The increase in the number of beer users is because of the great number of entertainment clubs, beer gardens, and different places for drinking in Phnom Penh and provinces.

According to the survey by the Cambodian Center for Peace and Development Organization, the abuse of alcohol among 1,400 Cambodian citizens was interviewed in seven provinces in late 2008, 58% of those interviewed, aged between 18 and 25, are addicted to alcohol.

“It also found that among alcohol abusers, 41% like drinking white rice wine produced in the country, 37% like drinking beer of different brands, 13% like medical wines [alcohol mixed with different herbs or animals, like snake], and 5% like whisky – produced locally or imported. However, this study did not note how much they drank per day, and which different types of alcohol was imported,” according to report.

The public advertisement of all types of beer have been made in public places and aired on television and radios. In addition, children, under 18 ages, are able to buy a can of beer or wine in supermarket or street stores. The government should take strict measure to stop alcohol ads, including television, radio and public places, and should prohibit children underage to freely purchase alcohol in public place.

Phnom Penh – Cambodia on Wednesday confirmed its first case of swine flu, according to a joint statement released by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO). The statement said the infected person was a 16-year-old US girl who arrived in the country as part of a student group on June 19.

She presented symptoms on the day after her arrival and sought treatment at a clinic on Monday.

The statement said test results on Tuesday revealed she was infected with the H1N1 strain of the virus and she was being kept under medical supervision.

The other members of the group were also being monitored for symptoms.

Cambodian Health Minister Mam Bun Heng said Cambodia was well-prepared for an outbreak of the virus.

“With the virus now circulating globally its eventual arrival in Cambodia was expected,” he said. “We are pleased that the systems have been put in place and have worked in identifying and isolating this case.”

According to the latest WHO figures, the virus has infected 52,160 people worldwide and killed 231